The Dharma Castles of the Name Continue to Sprout Around Japan.
The Long-held Dream of Buddhist Friends in Nagoya Finally Comes True.
Nagoya city is so famous for Nagoya Castle that there is a song with the lyric: “Nagoya city thrives due to its castle.” A Dharma castle of the Name will be established in that very city. The long cherished dream of the Shinran Followers there finally comes true.
At the same time, Ishikawa prefecture, famous as a feudal domain of great financial capability, will add a third Buddhist castle, the Ishikawa-Kahoku Shinran Center.
Many Shinran Centers that welcome True Pure Land Buddhist refugees are appearing as if they are sprouting.
A Four-Story Shinran Center
A four-story reinforced concrete building will be established in the Atsuta ward in central Nagoya city. This site, accessible on foot from major train stations, is near to Route 19, which is a major highway running north to south in the city.
Aichi was once famous for its fervent believers of True Pure Land Buddhism. It still has many families belonging to temples of True Pure Land Buddhism. “Followers in the Tokai Area have played a major role in supporting the head temple of East Honganji in Kyoto,” said the Missionary Hisashi Nakagawa. “However, the only thing followers have been listening to at the temple since the Meiji era is what is called the ‘Modern Doctrine.’ The ‘Modern Doctrine’ fails to teach about birth in the Pure Land—salvation in the afterlife. Therefore, that doctrine is completely different from the teachings of Master Shinran. Amida Buddha has granted a Dharma Castle in the midst of such a situation. Now is the time to do all we can to shelter the True Pure Land Refugees.” With this, Missionary Nakagawa showed his aspiration.
The temples of East and West Hoganji in Nagoya are a 10 minutes drive from Nagoya Shinran Center. “The appearance of our Dharma Castle will give them a great shock,” he said.
A Castle Which Provides the True Teaching
One of the advocates of the construction of this Shinran Center, Junko Inaguma from Nagoya city, showed her resolve: “We have been followers of True Pure Land Buddhism from generation to generation. Nevertheless, the monks from Honganji have not been teaching the crucial matter of the afterlife, which is the starting point of Buddhism. Followers are not taught about it. This is why we are eager to set up a place for anyone to listen to the true teachings of Master Shinran in Nagoya by all means.”
The Dharma Castle in Nagoya is expected to be completed next spring. Following that Center, Shinran followers in Tokai area have started planning for the construction of a new Shinran Center in the neighboring Shizuoka Prefecture.
Source: The Buddhist Village Times #34 | 2013, The Dharma Castles of the Name Continue to Sprout Around Japan.
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